Like a Raven
by scarlethiddleston
Summary: Thorki Thor and Loki have confessed their love for each other, and set out to flee Asgard to be together openly.


There had never been any feelings of hesitation. Everything felt right. Safe. With Thor, the world disappeared and only the two of them were left in the entire universe. This love was the epitome of perfection.

Their only trouble was the need to breathe: how tedious and annoying for gods to require air.

"Loki," my brother rasped, his voice hoarse from moaning, gasping for breath. It sent shivers through my cold frame. His lips crashed against mine, a deep, infinite romance. His fingers traced every inch of my skin, strong and muscular. I ran my slender, mischievous hands through his thick blonde mane. His beard felt wicked against my skin as he began to kiss my neck, my shoulders…

BANG! We both shot up, though his arms remained around my shoulders, his chest against my back. Our door had been slammed shut and we could hear desperate footsteps tearing away from our room.

Thor chuckled, a sound that never failed to fill me with warm emotion. But I was not so easygoing

"Brother, we know not who has seen us. He may be off to inform all of Asgard!" My brother's eyes were sweet and caring. "Fear not, Loki, they dare not expose the god of thunder, for all who dwell here know the consequences." He kissed my cheek reassuringly, "Do not doubt that I love you and will protect you however necessary." My glistening green eyes met those baby blue oceans. "And I, brother, I love you dearly," I turned around to face him, our chests resting against each other. I slowly leaned closer, taking in his warmth, his scent, his everything. The tips of our noses brushed against each other. I was enveloped in his strong, loving arms. I adored him. I loved how we could communicate so freely without words. Gently, I pressed my lips to his. My kiss drove him wild.

A soft moan escaped his lips like a wild tiger He rolled over on top of me, his fingers gripping my shoulders, gliding over my bare chest. My heart beat faster and I laughed, rolling over again so that I was on top. I kissed him sweetly and began to run my hands all over him.

I began at the top of his chest, outlining his muscles. I felt him shiver, sighing with pleasure. I kissed him harder and his hands found my back, pulled me closer, tighter…

I woke up with his arms around my waist and his breath on the back of my neck. It was a glorious morning. Just before our sunrise. Everything was silent and lovely. Light poured in through the window next to the bed, casting silver beings that danced in anticipation. All else was still, calm, and content.

"Thor," I whispered quietly into the morning. I felt him awaken, his grip loosen and then tighten. He nestled his head on my shoulder. We spoke softly.

His voice was low, deep, and sore. "We could run away, Loki. I'll take you anywhere in the universe. We could be together openly. Every second of every day." His hand slid up my stomach to my chest. I slipped my slender, cool fingers into his grasp. We held each other tightly, lying in peace.

"And what of Asgard? You would abandon your home, your people?" I questioned logically.

"I'd give the world to be with you, Loki," he whispered. My expression transformed into a giddy smile.

"You are mad, brother. Evil and mad," I said softly.

"Mad only with love for you. Evil, maybe. If this love be evil, then evil I am. Evil I crave. Evil I dream."

"I too crave this evil. It is the perverseness of the soul. We long for that which is forbidden. That which we know is wrong," I said.

"But, Loki, nothing is wrong about this. With you, everything is right."

"I now, brother. You are right and you know I share your feelings. Perhaps your idea is not so unreasonable. How sweet it would be, endless hours of our love," I dreamed. My brother lit up. It thrilled me to see such joy on his face.

"Loki, we could go anywhere. We could travel worlds away. Just lie together in a meadow, drowning in each other. Loki…" his eyes were full of sweetness, ecstasy, and love. He held my face, pulled my chin up towards him.

"Loki," he repeated.

We emerged from our quarters together his strong hand gripping mine. The halls of our castle seemed unusually quiet. It felt like we were kids again. Thor was just leading me on another adventure. I gripped his hand tighter. I was the brain and he was the brawn. Together, we were unstoppable. He would lead us on some wild journey into the face of danger and my silver tongue would talk us out. I had always been a talented liar.

He led me down the corridors, through the familiar route we grew up in. Our hands were parted only when we entered the chamber of our father. While a servant or two could find out and be trusted, we could never let our father find out. We would bring him shame, something we both actively tried to avoid. We exchanged a meaningful affectionate, longing glance as my hand slipped out of his grasp.

"Good evening, my sons," our father greeted us in a bellowing kingly voice.

"Good evening, father," we echoed.

"Today, we feast, for this is the day we made peace with the frost-giants. Please go to the dining hall, where you will find many others there in celebration. Today is a day of happiness." Thor gave me a grin at which I couldn't help but chuckle, at the risk of exposing our secret.

"Go," father encouraged. We exited quickly and made our way to the dining hall. It was full of our friends and family, happy and glowing with pride. We got applause as we entered, so we bowed together and made our way over to some close friends. They pulled us into conversation, loving every second they got to speak with my famous brother.

I glanced over at him to see he was eyeing me hungrily. I blushed. I knew he returned my feelings, but it still flattered me to see how I fascinated him. I was the cause of his pleasure. He shivered at the thought of my lips on his neck.

This was torture. We stood feet apart in the hall, conversing with our friends, yet could not express our affections. We feigned indifference. As I saw him laughing at one of Sif's jokes, I wanted nothing more than for him to pull me into his warm embrace and kiss me until our lips were numb.

"And a great noble king either of you would make," someone praised. Volstagg snickered.

"Well," he smirked, "only one a fit leader. Some win battles, others just perform tricks."

I moved to turn his wine to serpents, but before I could utter the spell, Thor had grabbed Volstagg by the collar and shook him violently.

"Don't you DARE insult my brother's skills. He is wiser than you or I or anyone in this castle and he can cast spells you couldn't DREAM of," he hissed. The poor man was shaking badly, terrified out of his mind. Thor released him, a disgusted look on his face. The silence in the room rang louder than thunder. Thor stormed out, but I knew it was because he feared that others were looking at him as a monster. He needed to escape their fearful eyes. I followed shortly after him.

I knew where my brother would go. I made my way through the castle, out the front door, and into my garden. Our place. I entered the labyrinth of vines and navigated perfectly: I knew this place well. I came to a clearing with a larger patch of grass where Thor lay, looking quite upset. I sat down next to him.

"Why do they despise you so? They cannot hope to understand your brilliance, your skill. Why must they mock you?" He was extremely distressed.

"Brother," I soothed, "Pay them no mind. They are bullies seeking a target. People praise brawn as heroism and fear brain as trickery. It does not bother me."

"But it bothers ME," he bellowed. I could see he hated this. He wanted to protect me, make my life perfect. And I loved him for that.

I lay down so that our sides were touching. I gripped his hand.

"Forget them, brother. We are alone now." His blue eyes brightened.

"Yes, we are. In this sacred place." The place where we had shared our first kiss. He stroked my hair. I nestled my head against his shoulder.

"I love you, brother," He said much more softly, contrasting his previous anger. My touch softened him. Touched his heart. His beard felt so good against my skin as his lips met my forehead.

"I care for you, Loki. I will protect you. I adore you," I smiled.

"As I do care for you," I assured him. I ran my fingers through his hair, turning a bit to face him on my side.

"Yes, I do care for you. Yes," I whispered. He leaned forward to kiss my lips when a wicked idea crossed my mind. I leaned in as well, but stopped just before our lips met. My bottom one brushed against his. His eyes were confused. I put a hand on his chest.

"How _badly_ must you kiss me, brother," My mouth twisted into a grin. His eyes became passionate and desperate.

"How terrible is your desire? How terribly _must_ you kiss my lips?" He moaned, pushing towards me, but my hand held him back. I let our lips brush together once more. This drove him absolutely mad. He shoved my hand away, enveloped my body in his arms and held me tightly to him, kissing me violently. He rolled over so that I was below him on the soft grass, kissing him wildly. His lips felt so good against mine. We were both practically whimpering with pleasure.

His fingers began to work as we were forced to stop for breath. In seconds, he freed my naked body from all armor and I his.

For a moment, we lay there together, side by side. Dusk was settling in. Everything was beautiful in the garden. I watched the stars swim around the ocean of darkness, a canvas painted midnight in raven black. The stars were the eyes of the raven, and they shone for us. They shone for beauty and for love. They watched the evil that we so desperately craved. The evil that we had become.

"Any one of those stars can be ours, brother," Thor whispered softly, "Look at how they shine for you." My heart sped up. I pulled him on top of me.

"They shine for _us_, brother. For us and our journey to the world. They are an invitation. They invite us to travel to them, to escape into their world. They invite us to love." Thor grinned and kissed my neck.

"Then tomorrow we shall go," he said very softly, "Your eyes are like a raven's," he added affectionately. I grinned back at him.

"So tomorrow, we go," I murmured, drifting off.

We rose early and moved in silence. No one could know of our departure. We walked silently around the castle from garden to the portal. The gatekeeper slumbered and I cast an enchantment upon him to keep him that way. Thor ripped open the door to the rainbow bridge with his incredible strength. I met him at the exit and lifted my enchantment just before we closed the door.

The rainbow bridge was dark and quiet. Thor grasped my hand. We travelled together we knew not where. My brother looked me in the eye.

"Loki, know I love you in every way. I love your touch, your skin, your laugh. But I also love your words, your brilliance, and your magic. You are unique. You-"

For a split second, I wondered why he stopped. I saw raw fear in his eyes. It shot a spear through my heart to see him so desperately terrified. But then I was struck from behind. A comet, it seemed, had rocketed into the rainbow bridge. I was struck with a comet the size of a large sheep in the back of the head. I fell to the ground, landing sideways on my leg.

"Loki!" Thor cried, falling helplessly to my side. Pain seared through me like a fire. My neck and back were torn and bloodied. My leg was clearly broken. A yelp escaped my lips.  
"Loki," Thor cried, a tear dripping down his face, "You will live. You'll be okay." He was close to hysterics, but he knew what he had to do from many years of battle. He took me in his arms and tore across the rainbow bridge at lightning speed. Everything throbbed and I began to loose consciousness…

I awoke to the sound of running water. Ugh. Pain had not lessened over the course of my slumber. I could sense my brother's presence, though I did not see him. I lied on my side and my leg was wrapped carefully. My back and neck still burned.

"Drink, brother. You need strength," Thor advised me. His words met my ears like heaven. I could hear the stress, the worry, the deep pain that he felt for me. He knelt at my side in the grass and tipped my chin towards his as he always did. He gently lifted a glass to my lips and I swallowed.

"Thank you," I croaked. Ugh. It hurt to speak. I could fix this, but not on my own.

"After you…it…it happened, I brought us here," Thor stuttered. He was clearly shaken. I hated seeing him like that.

"Thor. I can cast a healing enchantment, but you must gather the materials." He was eager and ready.

"Anything. Tell me what you require and I will bring it." We were in a woods and I was confident everything would be available here.

"You must bring me herbs known as starweed, a small green leaf with pointed edges. Next, I require the corpse of a hawk. A large, strong bird if you can. I will need some liquid to catalyze the mixture- something from a living beast. Blood or venom. It cannot be from one of the creatures you already gathered for me. Finally, I need gooseberries and the flowers of a lily."  
"Will this ease your pain?" Thor wanted to know. I managed a nod.

"It will heal the comet wounds. A comet's damage may be countered by magic. The leg, however…there is nothing I can do."  
"So be it. I will return quickly. If you need me, do not hesitate to call. I will not travel far," He said.

"Wait. What realm is this?" I asked him.

"It is a place called Mars," he replied. And off he went.

I sought sleep though it did not come. I planned my enchantment in the quiet solitude. This was a peaceful place. It was beginning to grow on me. The soft sound of running water in the background soothed me ever so slightly. I thought of Thor and how much I adored him. We would have a great life together here. I knew we'd visit our place of birth over the years. After all, Thor and I were raised there, and fell in love there.

Bust here we would be perfectly happy. Eventually, Thor returned with almost everything I required. I saw my hawk, the leaves and berries. Wait; there was something about him, a pained expression on his face.

He dropped my items by me, but his left arm remained behind him out of my sight.

"I know you will not like this, Loki," he began, "but I have failed to find you liquid from an animal. Therefore, I cut my own hand. Where need you the blood?" My face twisted. "Thor, you needn't hurt yourself to save me!" I cried.

"Loki, I cannot bear to see you suffering so. A small pain in my hand is much preferred to the grief of watching you writhe in pain," he said softly. I nodded, too weak to protest.

"So be it," I said, "Bring the materials closer. Help me break them, mash them together." He obeyed, creating a viscous mixture.

"Now add the blood," I said. I couldn't watch as he let his cut drip on to my medicine. Eyes closed, I whispered my spell. When it was finished, I said,

"Now apply it to my wounds. Gently." He obeyed quietly. I winced as he carefully smeared it on my back, my shoulders, and my neck. I could tell he hated the idea that it caused me any further discomfort, but knew it would help me ultimately. When he was finished, he stroked my hair back, and took my hands in his.

"I am so sorry, Loki. I wish it were I and not you in this terrible shape," he whispered.

"Do not fear, brother. I am feeling better already," I replied, and I did. I was proud of my work. Thor could kill, but I could save lives. He watched in slight surprise (he had already seen the heights of my ability but was still impressed) as my wounds disappeared though my leg remained broken. I sat up, grinning.

"See? Better already," I playfully punched his chest.

"Yes, Loki, but your leg…" I shook my head.

"It does not even pain me. I cannot walk, but I feel well," I reassured him. He smiled,

"Then let me show you something," he carefully picked me up and cradled me in his arms. He held me close to his chest, and I heard his beating heart. We walked slowly-he was being careful with me-through the woods along the stream. It seemed we wandered aimlessly until we came to a break in the trees. In the clearing, the sun shone brilliantly and a huge garden of gorgeous flowers blanketed the ground. Thor lay me down in the middle and sat beside me.

He looked down on me and breathed, "You are so lovely."

"Not getting soft now, are we?" I joked. He grinned and pushed my shoulder.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he replied. We both laughed. It was electrifying, this place. How fitting, I thought, for the god of thunder.

"We can lay in this bed of flowers forever. For the rest of our lives," I whispered. He leaned over me gently and kissed my lips. It was as if I were a time bomb about to explode.

"Your affections will not break me," I assured him.

"Loki, I will not cause you any more pain," he promised. Before I could respond, he pressed his lips to my chest. His breath was hot on my skin.

"Never again," he breathed, exploding a wind of fire on me. I shuddered with pleasure.

"Thor…" I loved him more than ever. And I knew life could not get any better than this right now. My eyes, like a raven's, closed contently.


End file.
